Automatic zone-fare ticketing for public transportation vehicles

ABSTRACT

Apparatus is disclosed to allow passengers using public transportation vehicles such as, buses, rail cars and the like to receive a ticket upon boarding a vehicle and to make payment while on board, the amount of payment being partly dependent upon the length of the trip. The ticket, which is obtained from a ticket spitter, is validated for the particular-length trip by a pay machine operated by the passenger while traveling toward the destination, and proper validation is verified by an exit reader upon disembarking from the vehicle. The whole business transaction is handled automatically without need of any participation on the part of the vehicle driver. The invention herein described was made, in part, in the course of a contract with the United States Department of Transportation.

United States Eatent n 1 Wiison 111 3,749,219 1 July 31,1973

AUTOMATIC ZONE-FARE TICKE'IING FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES David G. Wilson, Cambridge, Mass.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.

Filed: Dec. 17, 1971 Appl. No.: 209,130

Inventor:

Assignee:

US. Cl. 194/4 R int. Cl. G071) 15/02 Field of Search 194/4 R, 4 B, 4 G

3 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 11/1929 Baur 221/121 Entrance Spitter Pay machine lutnitilt Exit Primary Examiner-Robert B. Reeves s t n W'K'iFS'IIHRW EEEE Q'... a... M Attorney- Arthur A. Smith, Jr., Robert Shaw et al.

[57] ABSTRACT Apparatus is disclosed to allow passengers using public transportation vehicles such as, buses, rail cars and the like to receive a ticket upon boarding a vehicle and to The invention herein described was made, in part, in the course of a contract with the United States Department of Transportation.

6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures lOI PATEMEB JUL3 1 I913 3 74,219

SMEEF 1 [IF 5 Entrance Spitter Pay machine Exit reader Turnstile Exit lNVliN'I'OR.

DAVID 6. WILSON PATENIEB 3.749.219

sum 2 [1F 5 Punch platen Plunger Reader mi croswi tch Punch Punch carriage Reading pin Gripper shoe IOO Ticket slot Microswitch stop FIG. 2

INVENTOR.

DAVID 6. WILSON PATENIEUJHI. 3 1 m5 Reader punch solenoid resistor -Punchrelease relay Punch rvlav late-calculation relay & switches Punch Completion microswitch Ticket-insertion microswitch & relay ush button FIG. 3

lNVliNTOR.

DAVID 6. WILSON PAIENIEb JM 3 I ma SHEET t 0F 5 12 volts Reader-punch mlcroswltches resistors 100 ohms Fare meter All Zone direction set by driver FIG.4

INVENTOR.

DAVID G. WILSON Pmmwwm 3.749.219

SHEET 5 OF 5 24 volts 12 volts 34 ti o 26 G ZONE Reader 1' 2' 3' 4' 5' 6 7' a solenoid 1 Exit turnstile FATS v' Ticket-insertion microswitch FIG. 5

INVEN'IUR.

DAVID 6. WILSON AUTOMATIC ZONE-FARE TICKETING FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION VEHICLES The present invention relates to an automatic ticket dispensing, validating and reading system for buses, rail cars and the like, and particularly to a system employing zone-fare comcepts.

The discussion herein is made with regard to an automatic ticketing system for buses, but it should be kept in mind that the system has use for other public passenger vehicles as well. A great deal of work and thought has gone into the development of concepts and apparatus to relieve bus drivers of the need to deal with passengers on the matter of collecting fares. One outgrowth has been the exact-fare system now in use in many cities in this country, and another has been automatic ticketing, the latter being developed mostly in England where much of the work has been done by Ticket Equipment Ltd. of Cirencester and the Bell Punch Company of Uxbridge. The systems used are discussed in a journal article in The Transport Journal, June, l966, by W.B. Follows, entitled Ticket-handling equipment for the Pay-as-you-leave one-man bus. See also, a report by MITRE Corporation dated Jan. 1971, entitled Automatic Fare Collection. Neither the system discussed in said article nor any others now under consideration embrace the concept discussed hereinafter of ticket validation enroute to destination.

Accordingly a principal object of the invention is to provide a system of automatic zone ticketing for buses and the like whereby tickets can be validated between embarking and disembarking points by a passenger without need of any participation by the bus driver.

These and other objects are discussed in the descriptive portion of the present specification that follows and are particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

By way of summary, the objects are embodied in an automatic zone-fare ticketing system for a public transportation vehicle, that includes: a ticket spitter operable to provide a boarding passenger with a ticket and adapted to code the ticket to indicate the embarkation zone. The system contains at least one (and preferably many) pay machines located on the vehicle to allow the passenger to-validate the ticket enroute to his destination, validation being a process whereby a fare to the desired destination from the zone of entry is paid and evidence of the fact is indicated upon the ticket. The system also includes an exit reader which reads the ticket as the passenger leaves the bus and indicates payment or non-payment of the proper fare between zones.

The invention is hereinafter discussed with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic-type diagram showing a plan view of a bus particularly to show positioning of various working elements of the present system within the bus and including a ticket spitter, a pay machine and an exit-reader machine;

FIG. 2 is a side section view of a portion of thepay machine;

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of a major part of the electrical circuitry of the pay machine;

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing fare calculation circuitry of the pay machine; and

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of reading circuitry of the exit-reader machine.

Turning now to the drawing, an automatic zone-fare ticketing system is shown in FIG. 1 comprising a ticket spitter 36, a pay machine 33 and an exit-reader 34, incorporated as part of the equipment of a bus 101. The ticket spitter 36 is coded to indicate the particular boarding zone of a passenger on a ticket which it provides to the passenger upon entering the bus. As discussed in detail later, the coded ticket is presented to the pay machine 33 (which can be a multiplicity of small pay machines distributed around the bus) where it is validated, the term validation being used to denote further coding of the ticket to indicate proper payment by a passenger of the fare between the boarding zone and the destination zone. The duly validated ticket,at some time during the approach to the disembarkation stop, is presented to the exit-reader which provides a signal which can be an electrical signal to activate a tumstile 35, to light a light, or to provide some other indication of payment or non-payment of the proper fare. Ticket spitters are in common use in many transporation systems and need not be discussed in detail herein. Of particular interest in the present disclosure is the pay machine, which is discussed in the next paragraph, and the exit-reader which is in some respects a duplicate of the pay machine.

A card-board,plastic or paper ticket, obtained from the ticket spitter 36 by a boarding passenger, is inserted into the slot indicated by, and in the direction of, the arrow designated in FIG. 2. A properly inserted ticket causes the lever arm 102 of a microswitch l to pivot clockwise and to close the switch. Closing the switch I energizes a relay 2 in FIG. 3 thereby energizing circuits through a relay 3, a reader-punch solenoid 31 and a resistor 32. When energized, the relay 3 closes a set of contacts or switches 4 energizing the farecalculation circuit labeled 103 in FIG. 4 where the switches are again numbered 4. The ticket, in the embodiment of the' invention herein described, contains several holes which are punched by the ticket spitter 36; the holes represent a code that indicates the zone of embarkation. Energization of the solenoid 31 through the resistor 32, as later discussed, causes a plurality of reading pins 27 (one such pin only being shown in FIG. 2) to move downward and to be stopped by or pass through the ticket, depending upon the coding thereof. As the reading pins 27 move downward there is simultaneous downward movement of a punch carriage 26 (against the force of springs which are not illustrated) which contacts, through a spring 37, the upper shaft of a gripper show 25, causing the latter to move downward against the force of the spring 37 and to hold the ticket in place. Each reading pin 27 has a reader microswitch 6 associated therewith, of a group of microswitches 6 shown in FIG. 4. As the pins 27 de-.

scend, those microswitches 6 associated with pins that encounter holes in the ticket, remain open, and those that encounter a solid ticket (i.e., no hole) are closed. In this way, the entering zone of the passenger is sensed by the reader portion of the pay machine 33; the departure zone is specified by the passenger by closing an appropriate zone-selection switch 7 in FIG. 4. A fare meter 5 indicates the amount of fare to be deposited. Deposit of the proper fare by the passenger acts to validate the ticket by causing further holes to be punched therein, as discussed in the next three paragraphs, and it acts, also to release the ticket, again as discussed in the next three paragraphs.

Depositing the proper fare effects closing of a switch 8 (which is shown as a manually operated push button in FIG. 3, but would in practice be a momentary-type switch) thereby completing the circuit through the coil of a normally-open solenoid 9 to close the contacts 10 thereof. When the contacts 10 are closed, the contacts of the switch 8 are shunted as is, also, the resistor 32. The full supply voltage (12 volts in this case) now is applied across the solenoid coil 31, the circuit being from the positive terminal labeled 42 through an operator ticket-release push button 40, relay contact 13, the solenoid coil 31, and the contacts 10 to the negative terminal labeled 41.

Downward movement of a punch 30 to validate the ticket, as above discussed, is effected by downward movement of a punch platen 29 which is caused to move down a distance of about one-half its full travel distance by the solenoid 31, when in series with the resistance 32, but which moves te full travel distance once the resistance 32 is by-passed. The platen 29 in its downward travel contacts a metal spacer or plunger 28 which, in turn, forces a punch 30 to move downward and to perforate (i.e., validate) the ticket. Each pin 27 has associated with it a punch 30. The particular punch to be activated is determined by the passenger. When the passenger selects an exit zone by pushing the appropriate button the steel spacer 28 is pushed between the platen 29 and the punch pin 30. As the platen descends, only those punch pins 30 having steel spacers 28 inserted will be forced downward. One or more holes can be punched in the ticket in this manner.

The solenoid 31 remains fully energized until the punch 30 reaches almost the bottom point" in its travel, at which juncture a microswitch 11, in FIG. 3 is closed, energizing the coil of a further relay 12, having contacts 13 and M. The contacts 14 are normally open and are closed when the coil of the relay 12 is energized; when the contacts 14 close, the contacts 13 open. The closed contacts 14 maintain the energization of the relay coil 12, after the punch-completion microswitch 11 has reopened so long as the contacts of the relay 2 are closed, i.e., so long as the coil 2' of the relay is energized by the microswitch 1 being closed. Opening the contacts 13 opens the circuit of the solenoid 31 and relay 9. The punch and associated apparatus then move upward under the influence of the spring 37, a further spring 38 and other springs, not shown, releasing the ticket which is removed by the passenger. When the ticket is removed, the switch 1 opens, thereby deenergizing relay l2 and resetting the circuits shown in FIG. 3

Upon exiting from the bus the passenger inserts the ticket into the exit reader 34 which has a mechanism similar to that shown in FIG. 2 except that in the ticketpunching devices the spacer 28 need not be used. The circuitry of the reader 34 is shown in FIG. 5. The inserted ticket closes a switch 15, like the switch 1 in FIG. 3, thereby energizing a reader solenoid 16 which moves a pin (actually there is a plurality of such pins), like the pins 27, downward 'to close an associated switch of the switch bank labeled l7; switches in a further bank 18 constitute a master controller, the switches in the switch bank 18 being closed in some pattern to indicate a particular zone. When the inserted ticket is properly punched for a particular zone, a circult is completed through the closed switch or switches in the bank 17 and a corresponding switch or switches in the bank 18 to energize a relay 19 whose contacts 20,21 and 22 are mechanically connected respectfully to close the contacts 20 and 21 and to open the contacts 22. Closing the contacts 21 energizes a circuit in the turnstile 35 to allow the passenger to exit; closing contacts 20 energizes a green-lighted instruction for the passenger to pass through; and opening the contacts 22 opens the circuit to the reader solenoid allowing the passenger to remove the ticket. A red light 26, that is normally on, is turned off by opening the swtich 22. When the ticket is removed from the exit reader 24, the switch 15 opens, resetting the apparatus.

A few more comments of interest are included in this paragraph. As shown in FIG. 4, the zone direction is set by the driver who moves the single-pole,double-throw switches 47 shown there to one or other of two positions, all the switches 47 being mechanically interconnected, as indicated by the dotted lines in FIG. 4. The fare meter 5 is a voltmeter, the applied voltage, as mentioned, being determined by those of the switches 6 and 7 that are closed. The switches of the switch banks 6 and 7, in turn, are separated by resistors 45 and 46, respectively, which form voltage-divider networks. The networks provide predetermined voltages for the zones numbered 1, 2, 3, etc. Over-ride push-button switches 23 and 24 allow the driver to release the ticket and operate the turnstile manually.

Modifications of the invention herein described will occur to persons skilled in the art and all such modifcations are deemed to be within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. For use in an automatic zone-fare ticketing system for a public transportation vehicle operating in the absence of controlled-access stations, a ticket spitter in the vehicle coded to indicate the boarding zone and adapted to provide a ticket for a boarding passenger, at least one pay machine in the vehicle into which the passenger can insert his boarding ticket, can indicate his proposed destination zone, whereupon the required fare will be displayed and upon payment of the fare to indicate such payment on the same ticket or a new ticket, and at least one exit reader in the vehicle operable to check the ticket upon exit and to indicate payment or non-payment of the proper fare.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1 in which the pay machine has a slot to receive a ticket to be validated, means for sensing the boarding zone of the passenger, means by which the passenger can indicate his exiting zone, means to receive fare payment from the passenger, and means to validate the ticket or issue a new ticket upon such payment.

3. For use in an automatic zone-fare ticketing system for a public transportation vehicle operating in the absence of controlled-access stations having a ticket spitter in the vehicle to provide a ticket to a boarding passenger and operable to indicate the boarding zone of the passenger and an exit reader in the vehicle to indicate payment or non-payment of the proper fare: one or more pay machines in the vehicle and into which the passenger can insert the ticket received from the ticket spitter, said pay machine comprising a slot to receive the ticket, means for sensing the boarding zone of the passenger, means for receiving a message from the passenger indicating the exiting zone of the passenger from the vehicle, means to receive fare payment from the the pins has associated therewith microswitches which are closed or opened on the basis that the pin associated therewith respectively encounters a hole or a solid ticket.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 in which the means to validate is punch means operable to perforate the ticket in a predetermined pattern to indicate payment to a particular passenger destination.

I! I! l 4* t 

1. For use in an automatic zone-fare ticketing system for a public transportation vehicle operating in the absence of controlled-access stations, a ticket spitter in the vehicle coded to indicate the boarding zone and adapted to provide a ticket for a boarding passenger, at least one pay machine in the vehicle into which the passenger can insert his boarding ticket, can indicate his proposed destination zone, whereupon the required fare will be displayed and upon payment of the fare to indicate such payment on the same ticket or a new ticket, and at least one exit reader in the vehicle operable to check the ticket upon exit and to indicate payment or non-payment of the proper fare.
 2. A system as claimed in claim 1 in which the pay machine has a slot to receive a ticket to be validated, means for sensing the boarding zone of the passenger, means by which the passenger can indicate his exiting zone, means to receive fare payment from the passenger, and means to validate the ticket or issue a new ticket upon such payment.
 3. For use in an automatic zone-fare ticketing system for a public transportation vehicle operating in the absence of controlled-access stations having a ticket spitter in the vehicle to provide a ticket to a boarding passenger and operable to indicate the boarding zone of the passenger and an exit reader in the vehicle to indicate payment or non-payment of the proper fare: one or more pay machines in the vehicle and into which the passenger can insert the ticket received from the ticket spitter, said pay machine comprising a slot to receive the ticket, means for sensing the boarding zone of the passenger, means for receiving a message from the passenger indicating the exiting zone of the passenger from the vehicle, means to receive fare payment from the passenger, and means to validate the ticket or issue a new ticket upon such payment.
 4. A system as claimed in claim 3 in which the ticket has punched in it a plurality of holes which provide a code to indicate the boarding zone and in which the pay machine is provided with pins which probe the ticket thereby, in combination with electrical circuitry, to sense the boarding zone.
 5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4 in which each of the pins has associated therewith microswitches which are closed or opened on the basis that the pin associated therewith respectively encounters a hole or a solid ticket.
 6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 in which the means to validate is punch means operable to perforate the ticket in a predetermined pattern to indicate payment to a particular passenger destination. 